Star Indian cricketer Devdutt Padikkal has said that he would always love to represent his country and even if he has to play at any other spot in the future, he would be ready for that, after he bagged the Player of the Series award for his twin hundreds against Sri Lanka in the two-match tie.
Padikkal has strengthened his case for the No.3 spot with scores of 167, 44 and 117 across his three innings. Had Sai Sudharsan, India’s established No.3, not been sidelined by injury, Padikkal may not have got the chance in the first place.
But he has made the most of his opportunity and could now be in line to retain the spot when India next play a Test against New Zealand in November, keeping Sudharsan out.
“Honestly, I am just happy to score runs. It
does not matter where I do it. It can be at number 3. It can be anywhere else. It does not matter. Honestly, for me it is important that the team wins and as long as I am contributing to those wins, I am happy,” Padikkal said at the post-match presentation.
“Yeah, lots of work to do. I think, as you can see, it is a very young side. It is important that we continue to learn. There is a lot of evolving left to do in every single one of us and I think everyone is really hungry and looking forward to doing that and I am sure we will continue to improve and have some good games ahead,” Padikkal added.
India’s young batting unit had its share of standout performances, with Padikkal and KL Rahul among those to impress, while skipper Shubman Gill also lauded the bowlers for their contributions.
Padikkal, who was named Player of the Series, admitted India would have liked to end the series with a victory over Sri Lanka but added that the team had plenty of lessons to take from the contest.
